Cal Poly ASI President Kelly Griggs spent the summer dealing with a variety of influential issues affecting students, one of the most important being fee increases.
In August she signed a declaration supporting the California State University’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by two San Francisco State University students. The students are protesting the 20 percent increase in state university fees imposed by the Board of Trustees in July. Without the increase, Griggs said, Cal Poly would have to reduce its operating budget by $18 million instead of the current $10 million, threatening class availability and putting faculty and staff jobs on the line.
“While I support the publicity the lawsuit has gathered to draw attention on the state’s lack of responsibility when it has come to funding higher education, a victorious lawsuit would mean nearly an additional $8 million cut to our campus,” Griggs said.
She also worked with President Baker to express support for the increase of College Based Fees to the chancellor. The student body overwhelmingly voted for the CBF increase in a referendum last March.
Affordability was just one aspect of Griggs’ election campaign; she also touted sustainability, campus climate and diversity, student access to services and statewide representation. She has since added improving Cal Poly’s relationship to the community to the list, due to the friction between between residents and students, evident at last week’s city council meeting.
“At the time my platform was developed, those were the issues that I had developed that I felt were key to student concerns of the time. At this time, many of those issues have not shifted, but there are many that have come to the forefront,” Griggs said.
Griggs will meet with Cuesta’s student government president, Josh Shepherd, to discuss the direction of the Student Community Liaison Committee.
Materials engineering fifth year Craig Boyer appreciates ASI’s involvement in the Rec Center expansion, but would like to see it work on other areas of student life.
“I don’t think it does a good enough job in seeking to protect the students, for example, police dorm patrols watching for drunk kids walking home is something ASI should fight against,” he said.
If he wasn’t graduating in December, Boyer said he might consider joining student government if he had the time and felt he would “adequately benefit the student population.”
While not all students believe ASI makes a difference, some recognize that student government does offer opportunities on campus.
Communications studies junior David Feder said he thinks ASI is valuable because it financially supports clubs that couldn’t otherwise host events, like his fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi.
“AEPi was trying to do a philanthropy, and we looked into getting some ASI money to make our event even better,” he said. “I just think it’s worthwhile to help out various clubs and organizations put on their events.”
ASI benefits the student body by allowing clubs and organizations better events which the students then are able to take advantage of and enjoy, he said.
Griggs said she would probably take the blame for any student who doesn’t think ASI makes a difference.
“It is our responsibility as members of ASI student government to inform the student body of the issues, changes and student concerns that we are working on. ASI influences each student’s daily life, so of course it makes a difference, it is just apparent that we need to hold ourselves as members of student government more accountable for letting the student population know what those differences are,” she said.
Even with the hectic schedule and stress, being ASI President has been a rewarding experience, Griggs said.
“This is something that I would not trade for anything … the opportunities associated with the position are priceless. It is very liberating to be in a position where you are able to make a difference on the campus for the students and to work with members of the Cal Poly community that I would have otherwise not had the opportunity to.”